Stelvio Pass
SS38 · Prato allo Stelvio → Bormio · Italy
- Length
- 15 miles
- Drive time
- 1 h
- Type
- Mountain pass
- Region
- Europe
Before you go: Closed roughly Oct–May (snow); very busy with cyclists in summer
The one on every bucket list: 48 numbered hairpins stacked up the Prato side to 2,757 m — the second-highest paved pass in the Alps. Top Gear once called it the greatest driving road in the world, then changed its mind; drive it early in the morning and decide for yourself.
From Prato allo Stelvio the SS38 starts stacking numbered tornanti immediately: forty-eight of them on this side, tight, many with a stone wall or a drop, and a surface that is generally good summer tarmac. They are tighter than they look in the helicopter shots. A long car wants the full width and a low gear; coaches and cyclists use the same hairpins. The summit sits at 2,757 m — the second-highest paved pass in the Alps — then the Bormio side is faster, more open, and still not a motorway. Tibet Hut and the summit sprawl are the stops; the photograph is the stacked hairpins from a signed lay-by on the Prato side, looking down the wall, not from the middle of hairpin 24.
Closed roughly October to May in snow; in summer it is cyclists from breakfast. Dawn is the drive. Fuel at the Tamoil in Prato before you start — nothing useful until the top, and the top is a zoo by eleven. Combine with Umbrail and Gavia the same day if the weather holds; that is the classic three-pass loop from Bormio, and it is already how the Great Alpine Passes trip is built.
Top Gear once called it the greatest driving road in the world and then recanted. Drive it early and file your own report. Do not sit on the racing line of a hairpin to take a picture of a number painted on the tarmac.
Check the pass status before you leave the valley. A dry forecast in Bormio is not the same as a clear summit.
Highlights of the Stelvio Pass
- 48 numbered tornanti
- 2,757 m summit
- Combine with Umbrail & Gavia passes
Where to stop on the Stelvio Pass
- Prato allo Stelvio Tamoil fuel — Last pumps in the village before the climb — nothing on the pass until Bormio
- Tibet Hut café — Terrace perched above the 48 hairpins — open late May to October
- Stelvio Pass summit viewpoint — Bratwurst kiosks and souvenir stalls at 2,757 m — Europe's second-highest paved pass
Drive the Stelvio Pass
Open Stelvio Pass on the map → ⬇ Download GPX
GPX works with Garmin, TomTom, Beeline and most bike sat-navs. Free, no sign-up — these are indicative waypoints, so follow the road signs, not the arrow.
Plot it, add it to a club run with a meeting point and pit stops, then share the whole trip as one link. Free, no account, works offline.
Route research: HunterMoss · More roads in Italy
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